Line. the CROSSING CRACKDOWN. Fatality management. Robin Gisby. Improving safety at level crossings. pages 6 7

Transcription

1 The magazine of British Transport Police CROSSING CRACKDOWN Improving safety at level crossings pages 6 7 the Line Issue 5 March 2010 Fatality management Workshops help speed system recovery page 3 Robin Gisby Route crime continues to be an important factor in railway operations page 5 ISSUE 5, MARCH 2010 THE LINE 1

2 A coroner s view editorial Driving down disruption In this issue of The Line we focus on issues around disruption of the rail network. Some of those involve crime, such as vandalism and cable theft; others, for instance suicides, do not. I have just taken on a new role heading up Territorial Operations for BTP and my focus is to improve our performance around those incidents that impact on the ability of rail operators to deliver a safe, reliable service. By working with rail operators we have driven down crime on the rail system by 19 per cent over the past five years to a point where we can justifiably claim that it is a low crime environment. However, there is still crime, there is far too much anti-social behaviour and there is too much disruption to services. BTP s current policing strategy has two different but equally important themes. The first, neighbourhood policing and citizen focus, aims to find local solutions to priorities identified by local people. On the other hand we are striving to deliver a consistent national service across the network. It is my job to make sure that these two are compatible. We need to strike the balance between being as efficient as we can be, having the right people available at the right time and giving local teams the flexibility to meet the needs and expectations of their local railway communities. Being a national organisation is a tremendous advantage and we are committed to extracting maximum value from it. It is surprising what can be achieved by clear focus and joined-up thinking and it is my ambition to help make BTP a very surprising organisation indeed! Alan Pacey Assistant Chief Constable Territorial Operations in this issue page 4 The everyday effects of terrorism page 10 Preventing suicides page 12 Anti-social behaviour what passengers think news in brief Off the rails A persistently abusive and drunk man, who spat at staff and travelled without a ticket, has been banned from every railway station and train in England and Wales for five years. 46-year-old Richard Barry was handed an Anti-Social Behaviour Order (ASBO) by Grantham Magistrates after police and rail staff in the East Midlands spent months compiling a dossier of evidence of his intimidating behaviour. the Line Jail for train robber A 21-year-old man who attacked a passenger before robbing him on a train in Surrey has been jailed for 32 months. Thomas Songhurst, along with two other youths, targeted the 18-year-old victim on a train between Mitcham Junction and Hackbridge on 4 May 2009, robbing the teenager of his ipod, mobile phone and bank cards. Songhurst was sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on 17 February after pleading guilty to one count of robbery. For circulation/subscription enquiries contact: Media and Marketing British Transport Police Force Headquarters, 25 Camden Road London, NW1 9LN Editor Simon Lubin theline@btp.pnn.police.uk Telephone Fatality workshops help minimise disruption First workshop discusses the role technology plays in fatality management A series of workshops are being held around the country to improve fatality management. The first, in January, included representatives from Network Rail and the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB). Delegates heard from Crime Scene Examiner Sergeant Pippa Smith, who explained the role of the scenes of crime department and looked at the ways in which developments in technology could be used in fatality management. BTP currently uses mobile fingerprinting technology, known as Lantern, to scan and check fingerprints against the national database. Being able to scan fingerprints at a scene and send them back to the Fingerprint Bureau for identification via laptop can speed up the identification process considerably, helping to establish more quickly if there are any suspicious circumstances. Detective Chief Superintendent Mick Field stressed the importance of identity. It s crucial, he told delegates. ID generally leads you quickly to the rest of the story behind a death. Rail fatalities are treated as either suspicious, non-suspicious or unexplained, so establishing the story quickly is vital to keeping disruption to a minimum. BTP has a target of 90 minutes for clearing nonsuspicious fatalities; the current average is 81 minutes. BTP has been ranked third in the national police league table for the use of mobile fingerprinting technology. Twenty-nine police forces are using the Lantern devices, which electronically scan fingerprints and check them against the national database. Hertfordshire Coroner Edward Thomas has had a long association with BTP. He came along to the first workshop to give the coronial perspective on rail fatalities. Having been involved with the Watford, Hatfield and Potters Bar crashes, I feel you are part of our family in Hertfordshire, he said. There are 102 coroners in England and Wales. That means that sometimes there are 102 ways of dealing with things. Coroners districts can be very differently managed. It can be difficult for a national force or the railway dealing with so many jurisdictions. In Hertfordshire, we get on well with BTP s coroners liaison officers they know what we want and they come and visit us. There is quick liaison and we deal quickly with identification strategy. Every death is a tragedy and sensitivity is the key says Mr Thomas. Respect for the dignity of the deceased is very important, I can t emphasise that enough. Release of the body can be a thorny issue for instance deciding to whom to release the body. It can be difficult with modern family relationships. Police family liaison officers are appointed in complex cases they play a very useful role. Coroners can sit with or without jurors, but Mr Thomas prefers to sit without. It spares the pain of families. With jurors you have to explain everything in detail. The local papers are usually very good. I tell them that I want us to treat each event as if it was our mum or dad. In today s multi-cultural society, there is a diverse range of cultural needs following a death. I try to deal with those as soon as possible, said Mr Thomas. It s about good liaison, explaining to the family why you make the decisions that you do. But we have to do what we need to do it s important that they don t feel we are against them. 2 THE LINE THE MAGAZINE OF BRITISH TRANSPORT POLICE ISSUE 5, MARCH 2010 THE LINE 3

3 Managing the terrorist threat While terrorist attacks are rare, the effects of terrorism are felt every day Air passengers are used to long check in times and restrictions on carry-on luggage, but the rail system remains an open mass transit system, albeit some of the best controlled public space anywhere in the country. Hoax and threatening calls along with unattended or suspicious items have the potential to cause serious specialist response units are constantly on patrol and can quickly establish if a threat is real disruption if not effectively managed. It can be very tempting to take the easy option, stop services and cordon off large areas following a bomb threat or report of an unattended bag, says Superintendent Phil Trendall from BTP s Counter Terrorism Support Unit. But that approach can do the terrorists work for them, bringing the system to a halt without exposing them to any risk. It was that that led to the coining of the term 10p terrorism in the 1990s to describe the tactic used by Irish republican terrorists of planting devices and then issuing a series of bomb threats. Dealing with bomb threats is about risk management, says Adrian Dwyer, BTP s Counter Terrorism Risk Advisor. In the early 1990s we put in place a structured, centralised system that allows us to have a high degree of confidence in our threat categorisation process. That has had a high degree of success. Over the last 19 years, more than 10,000 locations have been threatened. Only 75 threats, under one per cent, resulted in evacuation and of those 75, 34 were subsequently found to involve viable devices. To date, even taking into account the emerging threats associated with terrorists other than Irish republicans, we have not missed a viable threat; and since 2001, we have only closed twice due to anonymous threats. Each year, approximately 250,000 items are reported as THE HOT PRINCIPLE BTP has developed HOT which encourages the finder of an unattended item to consider three characteristics before viewing it as suspicious: H is O is T the item hidden? it obviously suspicious? is it typical for the environment? unattended or suspicious the majority are dealt with successfully and professionally by rail staff, who are the first line of assessment. They are experienced in the rail environment and briefed in assessment using the HOT principle, says Superintendent Trendall. They are well placed to make a common sense judgement on whether an item left on a station looks as though it has been hidden, is obviously suspect, or is typical for that environment. If they are not satisfied, they escalate the incident to us. That involves BTP officers dealing with between three and four thousand items a year. It is rare for incidents to have to be escalated beyond that, and explosives officers called in, which can take several hours. Because of BTP s unique assessment process, calls to explosives officers over a typical 12-month period are measured in single figures. In London we have Specialist Response Units constantly on patrol, says Superintendent Trendall. They are trained to use some very sophisticated equipment that can quickly establish if a threat is real. Problems do sometimes occur when local police are contacted directly by rail staff. Local police have their own procedures and do not always understand the effect of closing parts of the rail system, so it can lead to increased delays. With the UK national threat level raised to Severe in January, meaning that an attack is highly likely, vigilance by police, rail staff and the public has been reemphasised, along with the need to minimise disruption from hoaxes and false alarms. guest columnist Robin Gisby Fighting route crime will lead to better communities says Network Rail s Robin Gisby Tackling route crime Travelling by rail has never been safer or more punctual, but some delays to trains are caused by what we call route crime. These acts trespass, vandalism, theft, accidental damage, along with tragic suicides cause considerable delay and cost to our industry, as well as sometimes resulting in injury and worse to those involved. This is something we as a responsible company are addressing on a number of fronts with the help of BTP and other industry partners. Network Rail has a number of programmes focused on tackling route crime. Ultimately, we hope to save lives, but route crime also costs us money, which should be invested into the railway. If we are to deliver on our substantial investment programme and improve levels of punctuality, reducing route crime is key. Cable theft Our safety systems mean that the travelling public are protected when signalling cables are damaged or stolen, but such thefts from the railway remain a serious cause of delay, costing around 8m per annum in compensation costs alone. Our partnership with Crimestoppers and new technology such as new types of cable are helping us tackle this disruptive crime. Level crossings There are more than 7,000 level crossings across Britain. This road/rail interface presents the single biggest risk of a catastrophic incident on the railway. Each year, around 55 days of delays are caused by levelcrossing misuse, costing some 1.8m. The real cost to the industry far exceeds this, as it does not include actual damage to trains or tracks or staffing time and cost. But apart from these business factors, the reality is that thousands of people risk their Each year, around 55 days of delays are caused by level-crossing misuse, costing some 1.8m lives by misusing level crossings. Around three motorists a week narrowly avoid a potentially fatal collision with a train after ignoring warning signs and lights or weaving round barriers. You may have seen some of the CCTV we have released showing this crazy behaviour. Our Don t Run the Risk campaign aims to raise awareness of these dangers, and encourages people to use level crossings safely and correctly. We have a dedicated community safety team who work closely with the BTP to reduce route crime. They regularly hold awareness days at crossings with high levels of misuse. This work on the ground is supported by a national advertising and media campaign. Our team also works on No Messin a campaign fronted by World Champion boxer Amir Khan. Here we try and reduce the levels of trespass and vandalism caused by young people and get them into safer and more fun activities such as sport or drama. This campaign is reaping rewards with crime down significantly in hotspot areas where we have targeted resources, but there is much more to do. The Samaritans Our latest initiative is our partnership with the Samaritans to reduce the number of suicides on the railways; each year there are around 200. Each death, while tragic, is also extremely disruptive to the network and costly. The project will be delivered through training for rail staff in dealing with potential suicides and the aftermath of a suicide, working with mental health, social and other services, national communications campaigns, and ensuring responsible reporting of suicides in the media. As our lives and the railways become ever busier, and we deal with tough economic times, route crime will continue to be a factor. I know that through the dedicated work of people across the railways that our fight on crime will continue and lead to better communities, and a better performing railway. Reducing crime is key to improving punctuality Robin Gisby has been Director of Operations and Customer Service for Network Rail since May In October 2008 he was appointed as a board member following many successful years in roles such as Director of the Southern Region, Director of the Eastern Region and, with Railtrack, as Director of Network Development and Director of Freight. 4 THE LINE THE MAGAZINE OF BRITISH TRANSPORT POLICE ISSUE 5, MARCH 2010 THE LINE 5

4 rossing crackdown To some motorists, flashing warning lights at a level crossing and dropping barriers aren t enough to convince them to wait for a passing train they foolishly still fancy their chances of making it across in time. But the risks to life and limb are huge and the disruption caused by a collision, to train services and the community, is massive. The Line looks at an operation aimed at stopping people risking their lives and improving safety across Britain s 7,600 crossings. Over the last four years Network Rail reports that there have been 12,435 incidents of level-crossing misuse 5,000 of which were reported to police and 211 involving fatalities. Fatal incidents have repercussions for the family and friends of the deceased as well as for the wider community. Rail passengers lives are put at risk when a train collides with a vehicle and services are severely disrupted as emergency services clear the scene and investigations take place. The cost of repairs to level crossings and railway equipment can be huge and a full inquiry into the causes of the incident can take months. But it s not just fatal accidents that impact on Network Rail and passengers. About 25 per cent of all incidents are traffic-related, but just under 50 per cent are line of route offences, which includes stone throwing, trespass and causing obstructions on the line. Level-crossing misuse is a major problem for the whole of the rail industry and Operation Galley, first run in June 2009, is BTP s latest response to it. The operation has two main purposes firstly to carry out enforcement exercises at hotspots catching people in the act, and secondly to educate the public in the dangers of level-crossing misuse. Chief Inspector Gary Clark and Inspector Tom Naughton have been leading the operation and the 35 exercises that have taken place so far. Inspector Naughton said: The enforcement operations are intelligence-led. We gather information from a number of partners, particularly Network Rail, on where the problem crossings are. We will also listen to members of the community who have spotted misuse at certain times, and revisit areas that have proven to be hot spots in the past. BTP ran 26 operations in November and December 2009, as the run-up to Christmas is seen as a peak time for level-crossing offenders. A partnership approach Working with a wide variety of organisations and rail companies is key to the success of Operation Galley. Network Rail, the Office of Rail Regulation, the Ministry of Justice, the Department for Transport, the Association of Chief Police Officers, the Home Office, train operating companies and the the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) are just some of the groups involved in planning operations. Meetings take place on a regular basis, at national and local levels, to constantly review the number of offences and what areas need to be focused on. A total of 130 motorists were caught zig-zagging through half-barrier crossings during this period alone. So far this year 18 operations have been completed. The results of an operation are publicised in the local media to make sure the message gets out to the widest audience possible. But Chief Inspector Clark said the threat of being caught isn t the sole purpose of the operation. It s important that we educate people too to change their behaviours, he said. During an exercise, we will speak to people in the area and give them leaflets that spell out the dangers. This operation has been running for about 10 months now and we ve reached a lot of people during this time. Superintendent Andy Ball hailed the success of Operation Galley, which he believes is making a real difference to the issue nationwide. Obviously we can t be everywhere at every level crossing all the time, he said. But sadly, people still think they can ignore all the warning signs at a crossing and be safe. They just don t think they will ever be caught. But this operation is proving to be very effective in terms of making people realise the dangers. This work forms an important part of our partnership with Network Rail and is playing a crucial role in keeping Britain s railways safe. What do you think? Is BTP tackling level-crossing misuse in the right way? What else would help reduce the number of offences? Get in touch and let us know. See our contact details on page 11. Stats and facts in 2008 * 3,479 recorded misuse incidents 55 days of delays cost to network rail (does not include actual damage to trains or tracks or staffing time and cost) * full 2009 figures not yet available 60% increase increase fifteen people died at level crossings 1,800,000 what the future holds Operation Galley is just the start of BTP s efforts to clamp down on level-crossing offenders. This year, the Force will be looking at introducing technology such as mobile CCTV camera vans that can monitor behaviour at hot spots. A partnership pilot with London South Area will assess the benefits with the intention of providing CCTV vans across the Force. BTP is also working with Network Rail to identify areas that would benefit from fixed CCTV technology to catch offenders. Superintendent Andy Ball said: We will still be doing Operation Galley exercises, but this will be just one tactic and CCTV will ensure the message is getting across, and help change people s behaviour, when we can t be there in person. ISSUE 5, MARCH 2010 THE LINE 7

5 Liverpool kids take to the airwaves Children in Liverpool have been taking the mic to raise awareness of route crime in the city More than year-olds have scripted and produced their own radio adverts to warn youngsters across Merseyside of the dangers of messing around on the railway. PC Andy Young and Media Manager Glyn Hellam, both from NW Area, joined forces with Radio City Liverpool s most popular radio station to give students the opportunity to inform their peers of the dangers the railways can pose. The initiative was particularly poignant as it was delivered to classmates of Liam Gill, a pupil from St Benedicts RC High School who was killed on the railway in August last year. Glyn said: The idea behind the scheme was to highlight the potential dangers of route crime. Traditionally the Easter and summer school holidays see a rise in route crime committed by youngsters and we wanted to address the issue in Liverpool in a way that would make the children sit up and take note. We approached Radio City who suggested using their media bus to take the children out of the classroom and give them The students drew on their previous experiences and the results were really powerful the creative licence to produce their own radio adverts based around the theme of trespassing on the railway. Liam s death last year had a huge impact on other pupils from his school and we wanted to tap into this and use their experiences to get the message across to children from Merseyside. The pupils were given the brief to produce an advert to warn others of the dangers posed by the railway and were given stats and real life examples by PC Young to help give them some context. Then, with assistance from experts from Radio City, the children scripted, produced and edited their own adverts. PC Young said: The results were astounding. Each group only had about 25 minutes to write and record the adverts, but the quality of the final products really took us by surprise. During two days at the school we worked with every pupil from Year 9 and, without exception, they all took the work seriously and produced excellent and often incredibly moving adverts. Many of the adverts drew on their experiences of dealing with Liam s death and, as a result, were really powerful. These adverts will now be reviewed at Radio City with the children involved in the best ones invited back to the radio station to help produce a final cut. The final version will be broadcast in the run up to the Easter school holidays. Coroners database to help speed recovery A database on what coroners require at the scene of a fatality is being created to help speed up the process of dealing with non-suspicious deaths. The procedures following a death vary between coroners, explains Inspector Tom Naughton from the Neighbourhood Policing and Partnerships Unit. Some coroners want to be notified of a death immediately, some are happy to have a fax the next day if it is not suspicious. Some have a contract with particular undertakers, who must be used to move a body, some require a police surgeon to certify death, even if a body is in several parts. Some insist on the body being photographed in situ before it is moved. Knowing what has to be done in any particular area as soon as a fatality is reported can save vital time. The new database ensures we do exactly what is required without doing things unnecessarily. Fatality Management Support Officer Lucy Rayner added: This database is another tool that will help both control rooms and frontline responders become more efficient in dealing with these traumatic incidents. Did you know? The office of coroner is ancient, dating back to the 11th century Coroners courts identify the deceased and rule on the cause of death for violent, sudden or unnatural deaths. They don t apportion blame Police carry out an investigation on behalf of the coroner There are 102 coroner s districts in England and Wales team profile Coppers target copper thieves A scrapyard search, a lineside dog chase and an undercover surveillance operation is all in a day s work for members of the North Eastern Area cable team Detective Chief Inspector Danny Snee heads up Operation Drum (BTP s national strategic response to cable theft) in the north east, with his team of 17 officers. The region has been a hot spot for cable theft and the Area was the first to set up a specialist team to look at cable theft in This year in North Eastern Area we have had 565 offences to date, 310 down on last year, says DCI Snee. The team s operations evolved from monthly to weekly to daily initiatives, as Detective Sergeant Matt Davies explains. We plot crimes that have taken place on a map to identify hot spot areas, and from these crime patterns our research team will then gather intelligence about the area, such as any known offenders, previous crimes and suspects. Officers are tasked to undertake foot, dog and motorbikes patrols, scrap yard visits and metal dealer checks, and overt or covert surveillance. Technology is becoming more and more important in the fight against cable thieves. Technical Services Officer Steve Strong is part of the team and deploys covert and overt cameras to catch thieves in the act or deter them from committing offences in the first place. Steve also uses trembler alarms. These are attached to cables and activate if they are removed from the track the alarm is backed up by a response plan ensuring officers can react quickly. Crime Reduction Officer Paul Hardy works closely with Network Rail and their contractors. He said: My aim is to cut the number of crimes taking place and to tighten up security. I give crime reduction advice and put in place general housekeeping measures such as cable tagging and JIT ( just in time) ordering of cable for target hardening. Alongside Network Rail, the team works closely with a number of agencies local police forces, DVLA, VOSA (Vehicle and Operator Services Agency), British Metal Recycling Association and the Environment Agency to make use of additional powers to stop and deter cable thieves. There is a strong correlation between the price of copper and the number of crimes committed, says DCI Snee. With prices on the increase again it is not something that will go away in the short term. Did you know? In 2009 there were 1,674 cable-related crimes reported nationally, 35 per cent in the north east region Theft of copper cabling from the rail network emerged as a significant problem in 2006 as world metal prices rocketed. Economic expansion in China and the Far East has fuelled copper prices Currently the price of copper weighs in at over $7,000 per tonne. At its lowest in December 2008 it was $3,000; at its peak in June 2008 it reached over $9,000 8 THE LINE THE MAGAZINE OF BRITISH TRANSPORT POLICE ISSUE 5, MARCH 2010 THE LINE 9

6 CASE STUDY PREVENTING SUICIDES Working in partnership to reduce suicide on the railways What is the problem? On average some 200 people take their own lives on the railways each year. Each of those deaths is an individual tragedy that can have a devastating effect on family and friends, but each one is also a significant incident that police, rail staff and emergency services have to deal with. While overall national suicide rates have been on a steady downward trend for the past 10 years, the numbers on the railways have remained fairly constant. They make up something around three per cent of all suicides. A suicide on the tracks is not only tragic to the family involved, it causes delays as it takes time to establish that a death is non-suspicious or an accident, and involves police and rail staff time. Managing the scene and restoring the service to normality can also take some time trains can be disabled, replacement drivers have to be brought to the scene and locations may be remote and difficult to access. That all leads to a cost to Network Rail of around 15m in compensation payments to train operators, as well as inconvenience and disruption to passengers and freight users. Samaritans Chief Executive Catherine Johnstone warned in 2009 that there is likely to be an increase in suicides as a result of the recession. What did we do? In June 2009 the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB), through its cross-industry Community Railway suicides Figures subject to change as a result of inquests and other factors (source: RSSB) A crossindustry group is working together to deliver the National Rail Suicide Prevention Strategy Safety Steering Group, set up a working group chaired by BTP. The group brings together Network Rail, Samaritans, Train Operating Companies and BTP. Its principle aim is to deliver the Network Rail Suicide Prevention Strategy (see below), as well as addressing other areas of suicide prevention such as BTP s work on PIER (Prevention Intelligence Enforcement Reassurance) plans. What are the results so far? In January 2010, Network Rail announced a 5 million programme aimed at reducing rail suicide by 20 per cent over the next five years. This partnership between Network Rail and Samaritans, supported by train operators, RSSB and BTP is now under way. Aligned with this, the Community Safety Steering Group endorsed a rail industry research project managed by RSSB, which will help evaluate the programme s success What do you think? Can anything else be done to prevent suicide on the railways? We want to hear your views. See our contact details on page What happens next? There will be an integrated programme of activity, initially targeting priority areas, but fully rolled out by This will include Samaritans posters with helpline contact details, training for rail staff, developing a suicide response service with Samaritans, awareness raising communications campaigns targeting high-risk groups and working with the media to help reduce copycat suicides. Alongside the Network Rail/Samaritans programme, RSSB research aims to improve knowledge and evaluate initiatives. This includes undertaking a statistical analysis of 10 years of data, mapping the results on a geographical information system application, reviewing the literature and estimating the full cost of a suicide for the industry. The evaluation programme is due to last three years. 60 seconds Just the job life as a Coroner s Liaison Officer Gary Mathias is a Coroner s Liaison Officer on London North Area. He is happily married with two grown-up children. Gary was a police officer at Paddington for more than 20 years before joining the Coroner s Liaison Office almost two years ago as a member of police staff. What do you like most about your job? It s very different compared to patrolling the beat. Not everyone can stomach the things we deal with and I welcome the challenge of identifying a victim. Sometimes we have to think a little bit out of the box to formally ID someone. What is the most difficult aspect? Obviously it can sometimes be hard working on tragic and sad cases. And sometimes officers witness statements can be difficult to read! We would really appreciate it if people made sure what they submit is clear, concise and legible. Do you have to see a lot of unsightly things? It really depends on the circumstances. I am often called out to view bodies at the mortuary as well as assisting the crime scene examiner (CSE). More often than not though, we are in the office acting as liaison between the victim s family and the coroners offices across London North. Does it upset you? I wouldn t say the job upsets me. Our work is very sensitive and of high importance, but at the end of the day you become acclimatised to it. It s the same as being a response officer trying to resolve a domestic argument it s your job and you get on with it. A nice relaxing beer when I get home always helps. Seriously though, I ve had more than 30 years on the job so I tend to take it all in my stride. from left: PCSO Beth Davies, Efan Whiffen, Kelsey Jefferson and PCSO Kumar Hirani Investing in kids Geraint Morgan, Community Affairs Manager for Arriva Trains Wales is a firm believer in education for promoting personal safety and beating route crime. Bringing children out of the school environment and onto the train is particularly effective when raising awareness of personal safety, he said, following the train operator s latest initiative with pupils from Ringland Primary School in Newport. The Ebbw Valley line opened in February Has anyone ever been misidentified? Not on my watch! This is an important role and with the aid of modern identification techniques, the chances of misidentifying someone are very small. What s the most surprising thing you have come across? Looking back a few years ago, fatalities on the railways tended to involve a certain type of person. We now see a range of victims and in particular a growing number of young people, which can be distressing. When you are not at work, what do you like to do? I like to spend time with the family, catch up with the sports and being Welsh, I enjoy watching the rugby well apart from when I recently watched Wales lose to England and celebrated its millionth passenger in October More than 20 children and teachers took a trip from Rogerstone to Ebbw Vale, accompanied by BTP officers Beth Davies and Kumar Hirani in February. Seven of the children have never previously been on a train, said teacher Sara Evans. They have particularly enjoyed talking to the police officers and learning about the dangers of playing near the railway. contact us theline@btp.pnn.police.uk Media and Marketing British Transport Police Force Headquarters 25 Camden Road London NW1 9LN 10 THE LINE THE MAGAZINE OF BRITISH TRANSPORT POLICE ISSUE 5, MARCH 2010 THE LINE 11

7 We want to see more police on trains say passengers New research by consumer watchdog Passenger Focus shows that rail passengers, especially men, would feel safer with greater police visibility on trains Merseyrail is 100 per cent Merseyrail has become the first train operating company in the country to have all its car parks and stations safety accredited Passenger Focus s anti-social behaviour report published in February, shows for the first time exactly what worries passengers and what they want done about it. The three measures that would make passengers feel safer are keeping rowdy and drunk people off trains top choice with 54 per cent of passengers more rail staff visible on trains second with 40 per cent and more police visible on trains third with 36 per cent. We are committed to challenging these issues right across the rail network to ensure that people not only are safe, but feel safe, said Deputy Chief Constable Paul Crowther. This research by Passenger Focus is timely and highlights the issues that matter to the public and rail staff. We will use this research to directly inform our policing operations over the coming year. Increased visibility of officers is the most effective way to ensure passengers and staff feel safe. This follows the accreditation of Bebington car park under the Park Mark Safer Parking scheme. All Merseyrail s stations have achieved Secure Station status. Can I take this opportunity to thank all parties for their support in reaching this important milestone, said Meresyrail s Lee Phillips. The Safer Parking scheme is a joint initiative by the Most worrying for passengers in terms of personal safety is abusive and threatening behaviour, followed by people who are drunk or on drugs, and theft of personal belongings. Interestingly, theft is an issue for 44 per cent of women, but only 29 per cent of men. Presenting the findings, Julie Warburton, Passenger Manager at Passenger Focus, commented: I think that is because we women carry our lives in our handbags, so losing that is very serious. Julie Warburton, Passenger Focus Association of Chief Police Officers in England and Wales, and Scotland, managed by the British Parking Association. Secure Stations is a Department for Transport initiative providing a national standard for passenger safety and security on the rail network. It covers all rail and underground networks policed by BTP. This is the culmination Forty-one per cent of men want to see more police on trains compared to 30 per cent of women. Conversely, 41 per cent of women want to see more rail staff compared to 38 per cent of men. The most annoying form of anti-social behaviour by far is playing loud music an issue with 66.3 per cent of passengers. This is followed by fare evasion (55.5 per cent) and graffiti/ vandalism (50.2 per cent). Passengers generally feel safe on the railway but having staff available definitely makes a difference, says Anthony Smith, Passenger Focus Chief Executive. BTP s new Policing Plan is excellent. It puts lots of emphasis on the visibility of police. of years of hard work, said Crime Reduction Advisor Geoff Brunskill. Some of the stations and car parks are in areas that can be reasonably described as challenging and more than a little thought and effort went into achieving the standards. The dedication of those involved in the preparation of the accreditations has been exemplary. ISSUE 5, MARCH 2010 the Line Printed on 100 per cent recycled paper